Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease

Summary: Strong scientific evidence supports the idea that shared decision making can be achieved through the use of patient decision aids, however, many attempts at real-world implementation have not been successful largely due to a focus on low-risk decisions in primary care where clinicians are either too busy or the stakes are too low for the decision aid to be perceived as valuable. This team’s overall goal is to assess real-world effectiveness (Aim 1) and implementation (Aim 2) of patient decision aids for high-risk decisions using the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) as a model. By simultaneously exploring effectiveness and implementation, this project will provide pragmatic information that will inform a growing national agenda to better involve patients in their health care via shared decision making.

Summary:High blood pressure is a major cause of poor
health in African Americans. The goal of this project is to improve the
treatment of high blood pressure for African American patients by decreasing
the effect of perceived discrimination on their interactions with their doctors.
We do this by having patients complete a brief writing exercise before a doctor
visit. Other research has shown this exercise improves communication between
patients and doctors. When patients and doctors communicate better, patients
are able to take care of themselves better.

Funder: NIH

Award Number: 1R01HL133343

Project Period: 06/01/2017-05/31/2020

Title: ​​An intervention to increase engagement with hypertension care for American Indian patients

Summary:The goal of this project is to evaluate an intervention in American Indians that has shown promise in improving self-care behavior in another minority patient group, and to expand understanding of the effects of the intervention. The intervention relies on a psychological process known as values-affirmation, and involves a specific writing exercise administered immediately before a clinic visit. It is presumed to have its effects through reducing the effects of stereotype threat.

Funder: AHA

Award Number:15SFDRN24180024

Project Period: 07/01/2016-06/30/2019​​Title: A Multicenter Trial of a Shared Decision Support Intervention for Patients and their Caregivers Offered Destination Therapy for End-Stage Heart Failure: The DECIDE-LVAD Trial

Summary:With a​dvances in medical technology, older people and those with chronic diseases are increasingly offered major surgeries and devices like the left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Using feedback from patients, caregivers, doctors, surgeons, and nurses, we made a paper and video decision aid to help people offered OT LVAD make this most difficult of decisions. We now want to evaluate how our OT LVAD decision aid works in the real world. In six hospitals accross the United States, we will:

1.Explore how often the decision aid is used among eligible patients.

2.Test how well the decision aids and training improve the quality of patient and caregiver decisions.

3.Measure how well doctors, nurses, and hospitals adopt, implement, and continue to use the decision aids and training.

This trial is in peer review.

Funder: PCORI

Award Number:CDR-1310-06999

Project Period: 12/01/2017-02/28/2019​

​Title:The New Frontier: Using Health Care Data to Improve Population Health - CHORDS

Summary: The programs goal is to increase the number of public health agencies using the Colorado Health Observation Regional Data Service (CHORDS) and health care and mental health providers who contribute data. Partners will use CHORDS data to address obesity, mental health, cardiovascular disease and diabetes in their communities.